It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive

    

     We are always joyful and excited whenever somebody gives us a present.  Especially if what we receive are the things that we desire or dream of owning.

      

     We consider ourselves blessed the moment we receive gifts but the Bible says in Acts 20:35 that “…it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

      What are the things that hinder us from giving? Lack of resources or maybe poverty?  Others would say that “you cannot give what you do not have.”  But do you know that there is such a thing as sacrificial giving?

   Sacrificial giving is giving something very special or precious to you, something valuable.  You let go of it because somebody else need it more than you do.  It is giving the only thing that you own knowing that it is of so much use to another person.

     The poor widow in Luke 21:1-4 gave the only money that she has out of love for God…and God honored her.  Jesus commended her.

     This Christmas, let us take the time to think not of what we want to receive but instead of what we can give.  We are blessed to have what others do not.  We still have food on the table while there are so many people in our community who cannot afford to even have one meal.  There are children on the street who have not eaten for days.  Still there are people who depend on the garbage for their sustenance.

     Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”  There is a reward in giving.  We receive back, what we give when we give it with a cheerful and joyous heart.

Bisan Asa Ko Moadto

By: Various Artists

(image taken from the internet)

Walay nalilong Kanimo
Walay natago Kanimo
Kay bisan gihunahuna ko pa lang
Nasayran Mo nang daan

Kay wala pa ako matawo
Gisusi Mo na ang kinabuhi ko
Walay higayon nga mibulag kanako
Ang Imong mga mata

Koro:

Bisan asa ko moadto
Ikaw mag-uban kanako
Bisan asa ko motago
Ikaw magsunod kanako
Wala akoy mabuhat
Nga dili mo makita akong Dios

Coda:

Motago man ako ilawom sa kadagatan
Ug bisan Asa pa ning kalibutan
Bisan pag tabunan sa kangitngit
Ug dili na mosidlak ang adlaw pagbalik
Walay higayon nga gitalikdan mo
ako.. wooh.

Repeat Koro

Gamhanan Ka

By: EMX Band

Kanimo lang O Dios
Ako may pagsalig
Kanimo lang ako may katagbawan
Kay Ikaw ang akong Ginoo

Kanimo lang Oh Dios
Ako may pagsalig
Kanimo lang ako may katagbawan
Kay Ikaw ang akong Ginoo
Ug Ikaw ang kadaugan ko

Koro:
Gamhanan ka O Dios sa kahangturan
Ikaw lamang ang akong gisaligan
Labaw ka sa tanang butang
Niining kalibutan

Pagkatahom gyud sa Imong ngalan
Kay Ikaw man ang kaluwasan
Dad-a ko ngadto sa Imong truno
Kay gusto ko makauban Kanimo

Coda:
Motoo ko mosalig ko Kanimo akong Ginoo
Ang Balaan Mong Espiriru
Ipakunsad Mo kanako [3×]

We Differ in Our Calling

Each of us has a calling..it differs from one person to another..mine is different from yours..but it doesn't mean that I am superior than you are..in the eyes of God we are the same..

He doesn't look at your achievements, He doesn't count how many books you've read and how much skills you have mastered..what matters to Him is your heart..what's inside your heart..that is what truly counts..

Higher education is a worldly concept of achievement, does it matter to God? It depends.  If you offered it to the Lord and worshipped Him while trying to achieve your diploma, then that is acceptable to Him..but if your motive is purely centered on self, sad to say, it doesn't count.

At the end of the day, what matters most is how well you worked for Christ..

The thing is, we should stop comparing ourselves to the success of others..you can still be successful at what you are doing right now..that piece of rug you are holding is your trophy, an offering to the Lord..so be proud in wiping the table, scrubbing the floor..those too are achievements..they matter to the Lord if they are done wholeheartedly in worship..

The only message here is that our level of success may differ, but in the eyes of God we are all the same, we are His creation..

May the Lord give us eyes that look at others the way He does..may He give us heart that love like He loves, and may He give us compassion so that we may feel what others feel when we bash on them unknowingly hurting them...